This invention relates generally to devices and methods for freshening the air exhausting from vacuum cleaners during operation.
As is well known, vacuuming with a vacuum cleaner is used to rid the house or workplace of unsightly dirt and odor-causing elements, such as dust, animal fur, and tobacco ashes, and collect them in a vacuum cleaner bag. However, as the odor-causing elements are permitted to remain in the vacuum cleaner bag, objectionable odors frequently develop. With the disposable vacuum cleaner bags which are in wide use today, it is not intended that they be emptied periodically to rid them of the objectionable odors, because the main advantage of the disposable vacuum bags is the fact that they may be thrown away with the dirt contained therein. Hence, should objectionable odors emanate from such a disposable bag before it is filled, it may be necessary to dispose of it before its full use has been realized. This results in a reduction of the useful life of the disposable bag with a corresponding increase in the cost of maintaining the vacuum cleaner supplied with disposable bags.
An example of a previous attempt at eliminating the odors from disposable vacuum cleaner bags was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,758 to Parman. The disposable vacuum cleaner dust containers disclosed include an envelope made of a thin film and filled with a deodorizing material in solid form. When the disposable dust container is placed into position on the vacuum cleaner, the envelope ruptures, releasing the deodorizing material into the disposable dust container. The disposable dust container disclosed, however, is complex and difficult to manufacture.
In addition, Parman discusses that it has also been suggested that the material of the bag be impregnated with a deodorant at the time of manufacture. However, Parman continues to explain that deodorants are volatile and would be substantially or entirely dissipated before the bag reached the user.
Other solutions to the problem include scented granules or beads which are to be placed inside the disposable vacuum cleaner bag to scent the air emanating from the vacuum cleaner. However, these products are often difficult and messy to use.
Examples of other previous attempts to solve the problem are described in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,574,578 issued Nov. 13, 1951 and 2,179,665 issued Nov. 14, 1939 to Martinet disclose a crystal grinder attachment for suction cleaners. Although the principal object of the patented inventions is to grind moth crystals to be sprayed out of a blower tool which is attached to the cleaner, the patents also include disclosure of the inclusion of a chemical reagent for purifying or fumigating floor coverings, clothes and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,868 issued Dec. 15, 1942 to Winthrop discloses a vacuum cleaner which sprays atomized liquid into the air and dust which is drawn up into the vacuum cleaner. The liquid is to be of a character which will act as a deodorizer, a disinfectant or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,152,277 issued Mar. 28, 1939 to Pierce discloses a suction cleaner which includes an odorizing unit which is an automatic ejector-type odorizer unit.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide devices and methods which eliminate, reduce, or mask the offensive smell of house dust, stale tobacco, and pet odors from a vacuum cleaner""s exhaust. It is another object of the present invention to provide such devices which are easy to manufacture, easy and tidy to use, and do not require specially-designed vacuum cleaners or vacuum cleaner bags.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, these and other objects and advantages are addressed as follows. A device for freshening the air exhausting from a vacuum cleaner during operation is disclosed which includes (a) a thin, flexible sheet formed of a material and having dimensions so that the sheet is capable of being vacuumed into the vacuum cleaner without damaging the vacuum cleaner and (b) an agent bound to the sheet selected from the group consisting of a perfume, a synthetic fragrance, a deodorizer, and mixtures thereof, the agent being in a form such that the agent increasingly activates with increasing air flow around the sheet, thereby freshening the air being exhausted from the vacuum cleaner.
The invention also provides a method for freshening the air exhausting from a vacuum cleaner during operation, which entails (a) vacuuming into the vacuum cleaner the thin, flexible sheet described above and (b) operating the vacuum cleaner so that increased of air flow passes by the sheet inside the vacuum cleaner and activates the agent on the sheet, thereby freshening the air being exhausted from the vacuum cleaner.
The flexible sheet may be disintegratable so as not to harm the vacuum cleaner, or so that the fragrance and/or deodorizer contacting the sheet may be subjected to a continuous fresh surface.
Fragrances which may contact the flexible sheet can be affixed to the sheet by spraying, soaking, or any other method known in the art. For certain fragrances or certain sheet materials, a fixing agent may also be required in order to keep the fragrance on the sheet. Thus, a fragrance is contacted to the sheet and also xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d to the sheet with a fixing agent.
Perfumes or other synthetic fragrances have a subjective quality known in the art as xe2x80x9cimpactxe2x80x9d, meaning the effect the fragrance has on the olfactory sense of the vacuum cleaner operator. For example, the fragrances of cherry and cinnamon have a high xe2x80x9cimpactxe2x80x9d in that a small amount of the fragrance is necessary in an item in order for the scent to be very noticeable. On the other hand, the scent of vanilla has a low impact so a large concentration of the fragrance is necessary in order to be noticed. Other considerations include the various xe2x80x9cnotesxe2x80x9d that a fragrance imparts. The xe2x80x9chigh notexe2x80x9d is the initial fragrance that hits your nose, while the xe2x80x9cmid-notexe2x80x9d is the fragrance which levels off, and the xe2x80x9cbase notexe2x80x9d is the fragrance that holds the scent together.
The present invention seeks to provide a sufficient amount of fragrance, between 2 and 20 percent, based upon either the weight of the fragrance itself or the fragrance and the fixing agent, of the overall weight of the flexible sheet, the fragrance and the fixing agent (if used). The amount of fragrance will vary depending upon the scent being utilized, such as the cherry or cinnamon scent versus the vanilla scent mentioned above. The applied fragrance must have a higher or greater impact than the malodorous exhaust in order to be effective to the vacuum cleaner operator. In other words, the applied scent must be stronger than the exhaust smell in order to work effectively.
A second type of device disclosed is a disposable vacuum cleaner bag for freshening the air exhausting from a vacuum cleaner during operation which includes at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner bag having an agent bound thereto selected from the group consisting of a perfume, a deodorizer, and mixtures thereof, the agent being in a form such that the agent increasingly activates with increasing air flow through the vacuum cleaner bag, thereby freshening the air exhausting from the vacuum cleaner.
A third type of a device disclosed for freshening the air exhausting from a vacuum cleaner is affixed to the inlet tube for air entering a vacuum cleaner bag during operation. The device includes a tubular collar having two open ends, the collar to be affixed to the inlet tube of the vacuum cleaner and extend outwardly therefrom, the collar having an agent bound thereto selected from the group consisting of a perfume, a deodorizer, and mixtures thereof, the agent being in a form such that the agent increasingly activates with increasing air flow around the collar, thereby freshening the air being exhausted from the vacuum cleaner.